Kenyan university lecturers end strike over low pay

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's public university lecturers have ended a strike over low pay after reaching an agreement with authorities, a union official said, allowing classes to resume after being suspended since early March.

Strikes by public workers in the East African country have become more frequent in recent years, often over low pay and other grievances.

Constantine Wasonga, secretary general of the lecturers' union, told Reuters on Thursday they had reached an agreement with the Inter Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF), which negotiates lecturers' welfare with the government.

"As the strike is now over, all students are invited to resume their studies immediately," Wasonga said.

He did not provide details of the agreement, but said negotiations with the government would continue.

Aside from the pay issue, the lecturers had also demanded access to services available to other public servants like car loans and higher quality medical insurance.

Some public workers accuse the government of President Uhuru Kenyatta of neglecting them and failing to curb widespread corruption that they say swallows money that could be used to raise their pay.